There are three reasons why I’m back on the road and not on the water. The first came out of nowhere and is financial. I could have solved this with a trip north and a drain of my resources, but I decided not to go this route, although, as you know, I did abandon the boat.
A related issue was my inability to sell the RV. It had problems but nothing that bothered me that much. It bothered buyers, though. I didn’t even get offers.
I can’t go into the other reasons, not right now, except for one.
Gus. The first time I started the boat’s engine with Gus aboard, she immediately jumped overboard in a panic and began swimming in circles. This was a bad sign, but I assumed she’d get used to life on the water.
But it only got worse. Even at the dock I had to chain her up to keep her aboard. She was so uncomfortable that she managed to get out of her collar and bolt; she’d hide in the bushes nearby. I ordered a special collar/harness from Amazon but she beat that too.
Bottom line is that by last week it was obvious that it was my dog or the boat. One had to go. Obviously, it wasn’t going to be Gus. I asked the marina people if they’d sell the boat for me, hoping to avoid throwing good money after bad. I even offered 30% of the sale price, but they were hesitant. Bottom line: I bolted, leaving the boat’s paper work signed to them and a document ceding 50% of the sale price to them, to soften the blow of my failure to pay next month’s slip rental. For reasons I will eventually get into, I could not linger at Smith Mountain Lake.
I was of course thinking that these folks may sell the boat and attempt to keep all the money. They would have all sorts of rationalizations. On the other hand, legally, they would be on very thin ice – I have evidence of the deal I forced on them. If they do sell the boat… I dunno, it would seem they will have, in a de facto way, accepted my terms.
And as it turned out, I finally got an email from them that would seem to mean all is well. They will do their best. I hope they do. I don’t need still another example of human nature.
So we’ll see. I have over $16,000 in the boat and the craft is highly improved from the way it was when I bought it (just the solar array/lithium battery were over $2,000), for about $12k. I know. I drove away from a few bucks, mostly because Gus would have eventually jumped overboard in a place or at a time that would mean the end of her. I couldn’t live with that.
I really wanted to be back on the water…
There will be a bit more on this but here’s how my bolt went – I mean right from the get-go — aside from the engine light flashing event, which you know about. About a half hour out I noticed a noise coming from somewhere in the back. I pulled over and it immediately seemed to get louder.
I’ll zero you in on the buzzing sound…
I’m deaf on my right side, stone deaf. This was from a surfer’s ear operation from the 1980’s, done by a Beverly Hills specialist, paid for by my Writer’s Guild Health Insurance. I of course should have sued the asshole but I didn’t. I had plenty of money at the time and didn’t want to deal with that type of lawyer.
Point being, though, is that I cannot tell from what direction a sound is emanating. Someone yells my name, it’s hopeless kind of thing. I just look around like a jerk. So this buzzing sound, which sounded almost like an alarm, was a real problem. I’d stick my head in the galley area and it would get louder. That’s all I could tell.
I happened across a gigantic RV place – acres of RVs, I mean right to the horizon, a huge blinking ‘RV World’ sign towering over the place. Someone there will zero in on the cause of the buzzing, I was thinking, and here’s wherein lies the humor of this, and why it’s is worth the words.
A very serious-looking middle-aged lady was assigned to my case. She enters the rig, hears the buzzing, but can’t find its source. She was really mystified; the buzz seemed to be increasing in volume and starting to sound downright… well, not good. We both lean in over the galley sink and stove, moving our heads from side to side in unison. ‘See what I mean?’ was all I could come up with.
Obviously, I didn’t neaten anything up for these pics…
The lady calls an assistant, a younger lady, who likewise could not locate the source of the buzzing. Everyone who would show up in the next half hour was neatly uniformed, by the way, with ‘RV World’ emblazoned on the back of their overalls and on their caps. Reminded me of the asshole symbol on the backs of Walmart employees, and which was inspired by Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions. (I 100% guarantee that this is the case. I’d bet my life on it.)
‘It’s right here… somewhere,’ the first lady was saying, and it was obvious that this was fast becoming a matter of principle. I mean I’m in a sea of RVs – almost all late model ‘Class A’s in the six figure range, as opposed to my aging, beat up Class C – and if someone here couldn’t locate a goddamn RV buzz, I mean, what would that say about the state of the world?
‘The water pump is back there, right?’ the lady asks, pointing to the back bed, under which is the water tank and pump. She then points to the microwave, shakes her head, mentally erasing it as the cause, then leans over the sink again. More head shaking. She moves some dishes around to see if there is anything under them. There isn’t, but the buzzing changes pitch, becomes more plaintive. She backs up, waving her hands as if to say, ‘I didn’t do anything.’
There is stuff under the sink, and we pull all of it out, although I’d already figured out that the buzzing was not coming from under there; I’m humoring the lady. The younger technician crawls in there, god bless her for trying, but soon backs out, shaking her head.
The older lady steps out of the rig and fires up her walkie-talkie. She turns her back to me but I catch a few words: ‘…what the fuck…’.
Indeed, within minutes two new guys show up, a young fellow and an older guy named… Guy, actually, based on his name tag. Everything about Guy tells you that if he couldn’t find the source of the buzzing… I’d either have to learn to live with it, or whatever it was warning us about would… go off…
Now there are four uniformed technicians in my galley, heads bent. ‘Okay, back up, back up’ Guy says, and everyone gets out of his way. I step outside, wondering if this is all some sort of… sign from above or whatever, a warning that I’m making still another big mistake. (My ‘check engine’ light would start blinking in about an hour, by the way. You all know how that went.)
I know, terrible exposure. But the answer is right there.
Well, it took Guy a few minutes to find the source of the buzzing, but he did find it. I’ll include photos of the galley area. The answer is right there in front of you, as it was in front of me.
See if you can figure out what it was. I’ll put the answer in the comments tomorrow.
Allan
By the way, the day after the ‘Check Engine’ light event, I stopped at a truck place to get a wiper blade. The rig would not start. Then it would. Then it wouldn’t. Spent a weekend at a garage, waiting for Monday (yesterday) so the mechanic could look at it. Meanwhile, over the weekend, it started starting again. Who knows if it will quit again, where and when. I will wonder this every time I turn the key…
(The RV buzz people didn’t charge me for their efforts, nor did the 3 day stay at the garage. Good signs?)
Strange stuff, folks. I do love your comments, by the way. Just pulled over to see if I could connect. Also, my iPad died a few miles back, just went black on me, which I didn’t much like, especially since the rig’s GPS quit earlier today. Dead. This all follows the electric toothbrush incidence, right? So I pull into this rest area (and am hoping the engine will start later), look back and see that my cell phone fell off the settee and into Gus’s water bowl.
My cell phone. My hotspot. And the iPad was my back up hotspot.
I know: I’m writing this so something worked. The iPad came back on. But the cell phone was my connection with you guys for the last 5 years. I have it drying in the hot sun and am hoping….
I also want to do the post about Miles Mathis. We’ll see. Things are acting very weird, though. I mean, I have a list since my bolt from the boat…
But really, love your comments. When i get settled someplace I’ll try to answer them one by one. Most of them….
Put wet phone in dry rice in sealed Tupperware. (Rice or dri rite)
Sorry the boat didn’t work out. Looks like th seafaring life isn’t for old Gus!
love your stories 🙂
take care (of you and gus of course)
maybe, if I’m lucky, I’ll meet you,
someday – somewhere
In autumn I’ll head for cal. again
Trust the Gus. I’m saddened by your undeserved travails but that too will pass, I consulted my my Magic 8 Ball for you Alan , asked if the boat will sell and it said “indications say yes”. There you go, the Big Electron has spoken.
Tonight’s PBS program might be of interest to you.
https://www.pbs.org/show/8-days-moon-and-back/
Thanks for the heads up: they just will not quit, will they? I’m wondering if the new Apollo stuff is related to the UFO semi-disclosure they are into lately. We should keep our antennas tuned… something might be in the offing.
Hello Allan~
So very happy Gus is doing well – she had to show you the way to go, didn’t she? So glad to have you back on the road – so sorry about the boat adventure not working out though. You know I pray for you daily…. without missing a beat – twice daily……actually even more when the thought of you pops into my head.
Love your style of writing! Is this a contest to figure out the buzz? If so, my guess is a June bug or some other kind of unhappy beetle in one of the cups you have on the counter….
What’s the prize?
Very, very, very kind regards to you!
~Kimberlie
ps….. I heard the two happiest days of a boat owner’s life is the day he bought it and the day he sold it……..
Thanks, dear. I do appreciate your thoughts and concerns…
just as well, Allan. that brush needed to be retired in the worst way; splayed bristles like that are useless. next time pick up a quality sonic brush (Burst is my favorite right now) and change out the brush head every three months. Trust me, it make a difference. Last thing you need is to hang around a dental office, too.
gratitude for choosing Gus over your boat.
Best wishes, Grace, RDH
I know. I broke out my fresh one after a good look at the photo…
Okay folks, enough of my crapola. It was my electric toothbrush, somehow turned itself on and was vibrating the glass cup at a strange frequency. Can’t blame anyone for not seeing it, given that I was right there with my dumb ass good ear right over it.
Then it would not turn off. Fixed that with my 4 lb sledge.
I’m having a lot of strange electrical problems. Aside from the above, my engine light, then the non-starting/starting for three days, the latter being especially weird. It wouldn’t start (cranked fine) so I went online and came across a suggestion that I should try going around the passkey feature — your ignition key has a special electrical code inside, without which the car won’t start. Hot wiring the rig was beyond me but I had a thought… I had an extra key hidden, in case of ignition key-loss. Dusted it off and the fucker started right up. Then the original key worked too. So far so good but I have to wonder if this is all some sort of….
Never mind.
Gotta get back on track and thought I’d do a post about Miles Mathis’s recent essays on the space frauds and… wait for it… the Mandela Effect. Check those out at his site if you want to get an idea of where I’ll be going. And recall my Open Letters to ‘Miles,’ who is a major psy op. (http://blog.banditobooks.com/an-open-letter-to-miles-mathis-part-one/)
You can get MM’s hilarious crapola about me via: “Weisbecker” site: https://milesmathis.com, or use this:
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Weisbecker%22+site%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fmilesmathis.com&oq=%22Weisbecker%22+site%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fmilesmathis.com&aqs=chrome..69i57j33.17664j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Be fun to stir up the boys at Tavistock again, no?
Maybe your rig is a bit upset at the thought of being sold and replaced by a boat? I’m kinda kidding – only slightly! – knowing how the universe/morphic resonance/entangled minds/water are all related.
PS – Don’t forget to throw in Joe Rogan too!
PSS – Too bad Gus didn’t get used to the motor in your boat. Maybe she knew something or felt something ominous with it. Hmm, kinda gets back to the entanglement thought.
Nice fix and save… and on the road again! good for you Allan aloha
Allan, I do so enjoy the way you tell a story … more please. No, no trade for a loved companion … not a clue on the buzzzz ing, but can’t wait for the next chapter. Stay safe and well.
I would like to ask your help in flooding this youtube propaganda video with dislikes, as well as intelligent and critical remarks. Thanks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7eKTgzUnlY
I couldn’t agree more. And all the idiots who love it…. Reminds me to get to my post on Miles Mathis’s post saying the space shuttle was a fraud… It’s interesting the way he handles it, and I believe he refers to me also, indirectly, when he brings up Spacex. See ya soon.
Hey Allan!
For the origin of the buzz you had, it’s too hard to guess, without seeing/hearing it live. There are too many objects who could be the answer. Also, with the vibrations from the motor and the road, lot of things tend to un-screw themselves, move ,rattle,etc. Could be many things in the image.
I also understand the problem you have, to locate the source, if you have a severe problem in one of your ears. There’s a reason why Mother Nature made us stereo.
Funny thing, when my Dad was alive, everytime he heard weird noises in his car (s), he asked me to try find the origin, and I always manage to found where the noise came from.
He probably knew that when you’re young, you have a better perception of the frequencies, specially on the treble side of the spectrum (thin noises). These are the ones we tend to loose with age. It’s also the sens that is always on.
I’ll wait for the answer in a future post.
Strange Gus didn’t enjoyed water time. Memories from an alligator or something big in the water?
Hope you’re ok
ps i might make myself a little ride, by car, from Grenoble France -> North Portugal/Galicia.
It’s 2000Km drive from here, 4000Km back and forth. It might not seem much, but these are two worlds apart. You’ve been there too you told me. The land of the petroglyphs, Ophiussa.
A bee? Maybe trapped in the honey jar?
That’s a bummer Gus didn’t take to boat life! But you made the right choice. Fur babies have to come first.
It’s a baby Xenomorph from Aliens living in your honey jar. Or it could be some kinda winged bug in there, such as a cicada https://cdnorkincom.blob.core.windows.net/animal-sounds/cicada.mp3
Sorry to hear of your problems, but I gotta say that this article is written in perfect Weisbecker style. It left me hanging on every word. I read it twice, and I think I’ll read it again after I finish writing to you.
Looks like just the breeze coming through the open window was enough vibrate the blinds against some of your shtuff. Maybe against the solo cups?
Fly caught between blinds and window?
It did sound like a rattlesnake… but no…
later today….
Is there water in the fresh water tank? Is the pump running? How about remove one fuse at a time till it stops to narrow it down?
That’s a pretty wild story about Gus and the boat…how strange that he couldn’t adjust to it. Good for you in the choice that you made…there are always alternatives to satisfy your need for water but not really any alternatives about Gus!
Sounds like a rattlesnake . . .sorry.